Ellen Keane has been paving the way for athletes around the country.
The swimmer announced last year that the 2024 Paralympic Games would be her final time competing.
Going into the championships as a Gold Medalists, hopes were high.
It was absolutely devastating for her as she came in fourth on Friday.
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She reflected on her race, writing on social media: “On Friday my heart broke a little with a 4th place finish by 0.19.
“But it’s been put back together thanks to every single person who came to cheer me on, every single person who has gone out of their way to send me a kind message, my teammates and friends in the village who have given me so many lovely hugs.
“Weirdly a Gold medal in Tokyo felt an awful lot lonelier than no medal in Paris. Thank you for holding me. C’est la vie.”
She was met with supportive messages from her followers.
Picture: Brian McEvoy
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RTÉ’s Nuala Carey commented: “Once a ‘golden girl’, always a ‘golden girl’.”
“Well done you – we are all so proud of you,” Loraine Barry wrote.
“What you have done is still extraordinary,” Anna Geary added.
We’re so proud of Ellen’s achievements, she has done the country proud!
